International Nurse Looking to Work in the US OR!!

[anita_li17]

Hi! I'm a nurse from mexico (i'm also an american citizen) and i just graduated in december (last year). Here, we are required to do a year of "social service" at a public clinic or hospital. I'm doing my year at a General Hospital. My first 6 months were in the OR and even scrubbed and circulated alone (I also did 3 months in the OR as a student) and absolutely LOVED it!! I'm planning on taking the NCLEX next year and I've been reading some AORN articles. I was wondering if anyone had any advice or new of any ways to find OR or PeriOperative Internships or jobs in the States, especially if I studied nursing in another country. THanks soooo much!!!

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

The job market in the US is abysmal. Many new grads, as much as 47% in some cases, can not find positions at all after graduation. Those remaining are looking for a position for 15-18 months before finding a position and it is not always the position they want as they are not acute care positions.......but they take it Because they NEED the job. The economy stinks and isn't showing signs of improving anytime soon.

Regardless of what you have heard there is NO nursing shortage. There are multiple applicants for every position and hospital have hiring freezes.

First Year After Nursing Licensure

Nursing Job Search Assistance

Has the Nursing Shortage Disappeared?

It's that time of year again. Graduating nursing students are preparing to take the NCLEX and are looking for their first jobs. This year, many are finding those first jobs in short supply.

Reports are rampant of new graduates being unable to find open positions in their specialty of choice, and even more shockingly, many are finding it tough to find any openings at all.

These new RNs entered school with the promise that nursing is a recession-proof career. They were told the nursing shortage would guarantee them employment whenever and wherever they wanted.

So what happened? Has the nursing shortage—that we've heard about incessantly for years—suddenly gone away?

http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/co...sappeared.html

The short term answer is clearly yes, although in the long term, unfortunately, the shortage will still be there. The recession has brought a temporary reprieve to the shortage. Nurses who were close to retirement have seen their 401(k) portfolios plummet and their potential retirement income decline. They are postponing retirement a few more years until the economy—and their portfolios—pick up.

Many nurses have seen their spouses and partners lose their jobs and have increased their hours to make ends meet for their families. Some who left the profession to care for children or for other reasons have rejoined the workforce for similar reasons.

In addition, many hospitals are not hiring. The recession brought hiring freezes to healthcare facilities across the country, and many are still in effect. Help wanted ads for healthcare professionals dropped by 18,400 listings in July, even as the overall economy saw a modest increase of 139,200 in online job listings.

You need to check out these threads/forums.......Must Read International Nursing Topics and Nurse Registration and

in the World nursing forum.

Even though you are a US citizen your schooling is out of the US. You will have to apply and be approved by the Nursing Board for the state you choose to be licensed in before you can sit for the NCLEX. The test is required before you are allowed to practice nursing in the US. It give you your license upon successful completion of the exam. Many states are having concurrency issues with international educations and requiring further schooling before you can sit for the Exam. One of the most stringent right now is California. These are states having concerns over concurrent theory and practicum, so I would look at other 37 states to obtain license:

Alabama

Arizona

California

Georgia

Illinois

Kansas

Louisiana

Maryland

North Dakota

Oklahoma

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

But every state have different requirements that you have to comply with before sitting for the NCLEX

Complete List of State Board of Nursing you will have to do your own investigating where you plan on living on what that state board requires. You may not practice nursing without a license but may find employment as a CNA.

I wish you the best on your endeavors.

[msladybugrn]

Hi I live in Maryland and if u decide to come to the states you should consider Maryland. When u take the NCLEX here it will be a compact license. Also we have many Perioperative 101 classes starting at different hospitals from Baltimore to DC. I hope this helps